The present invention relates to a mixed liquid manufacturing apparatus.
Recently, products made to partial order and conformed to an individual's taste and physical constitution are increased among shampoo, toothpaste, perfume, etc. Incidentally, amendment of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law in 2001 with respect to, for example, cosmetic annuls the registration system every product, and allows freely changing a component ratio of registered materials as far as the materials are used in the range of allowed rates, so that there is opened up a road to cosmetic made to order, by which cosmetic conformed to a customer's taste and physical constitution are offered. In keeping with this, counseling cosmetic meeting carefully with a customer's need by increasing the number of goods and combining the goods with counseling begin to account for much on the market. However, this is responsible for an increase in cost because respective shops must posses various kinds of cosmetics in stock. As measures to carry this a step further, JP-A-5-216900 and JP-A-10-83421 propose a cosmetic ordering production control system, in which after attending to demand of a customer, such information is forwarded to a factory, and a desired cosmetic is manufactured and forwarded to the customer.
JP-A-2001-126140 proposes the provision of a cosmetic factory (clean room) in juxtaposition with a cosmetics shop in order to manufacture and sell a cosmetic meeting with a customer's demand.
JP-A-2002-284618 discloses a configuration, in which a compounding device placed in a clean bench is used to dispense necessary materials in necessary quantities into a sales container and to dispense and sell perfume at need.
However, with the measures disclosed in JP-A-5-216900 and JP-A-10-83421, it takes several days for a customer to get cosmetic, and it cannot be said that the measures adequately meet with the customer's demand that the cosmetic is in immediate need.
In the configuration disclosed in JP-A-2001-126140, color, scent, and a feeling of quality, which are conformed to a customer's demand, are given to a material (semi-product) that constitutes a base of cosmetic, in the juxtaposed factory. Since a semi-product is used as a material, production in a small factory becomes possible and what is desired by a customer can be offered on the spot. However, since a clean room maintained in a sanitary condition must be provided in juxtaposition with a shop, a device becomes large in size and an initial cost and a running cost are increased. Also, it cannot be said that the configuration adequately meets with a customer's demand that the cosmetic is in immediate need.
In the configuration disclosed in JP-A-2002-284618, there is no need of the cost of installation and an equipment that needs maintenance expenses, and it is possible to manufacture and sell cosmetic at low cost on the spot.
In the device disclosed in JP-A-2002-284618, however, raw liquids metered and fed via pumps from respective material containers are sequentially discharged into sales containers from nozzles to form cosmetic. However, it cannot be said that the device adequately meets with a customer's demand that the cosmetic is in immediate need.
Dispensing from the nozzles is performed every raw liquid, but the cut off performance of the liquid at the nozzles at the time of dispensing must be maintained in the same condition for “any raw liquid” and “discharge for any time of dispensing” in order that cosmetic should be kept in quality (component structure ratio, uniformity, sanitary aspect, etc.). However, the cut off performance of the liquid from the nozzles depends upon viscosity and surface tension of an associated liquid, which depend upon components and temperature of the liquid.
Further, when discharged from the same nozzle, there is caused a problem that liquid adhering to a nozzle portion dries to thereby change the cut off performance of the liquid at the nozzle portion and varies in the quantity of the liquid adhering to the nozzle portion. Furthermore, since uniform mixing of liquids cannot be achieved only by discharging the liquids into a sales container from nozzles, cosmetic of good quality cannot be offered to a customer unless agitation is carried out after all raw liquids are put into the sales container.